In his letter to Mr Hunt, CSI International Management Chairman Dr John Eibner noted a“pressing need” for such an initiative at the start of 2019, a year that threatens to see violence against Christian minorities increase further. Recent years have seen Christians driven out of their traditional homelands in Iraq and Syria in particular, in the face of the spread of radical Islamism – a phenomenon classified as “genocide” in 2016 by then US Secretary of State John Kerry.

“We concur with your observation that ‘Christianity [is] on the verge of extinction in its birth place’, and that the situation of Christians in many other parts of the world is ‘deeply perilous’,”

Dr Eibner wrote.

“I trust that the review will be able to focus on situations where Christian communities are currently facing existential threats (Middle East), mass systematic violence(Nigeria) or the prohibition of the practice of Christianity (Saudi Arabia and North Korea).’’

Regarding the existential threat to Christians and other vulnerable minorities from extremist forms of Islamism, Dr Eibner made two policy proposals to the UK government:

First, the termination of what a British diplomat in the Middle East called nearly 70 years ago the “fixed policy” of the UK government of refraining from raising the issue of anti-Christian discrimination for fear of offending the large number of Muslims under British rule.

And second, to end all military and ideological programmes that fuel the persecution of Christians.  

The UK government announced its review on Christmas Day 2018, admitting that it was not doing enough to address the issue of persecution against Christians.

Source: Keep the faith